Of the Mundane
by SilverPoint
Summary: Neji, Hinata, Shino, Lee, Kiba and Tenten are sent on a mission of building trust and of course, guarding the client.
1. New mission

"Tenten, wait, come back!"

Hyuuga Neji sighed. He couldn't understand just what he had done to make Tenten so mad at him. Then again, he rarely understood emotions. He was a born and bred fighter and protector. Feelings were Tenten's department. Lee was their inspiration. Some people would call him the comic relief, but Neji preferred the term "Moral Encouragement Officer." But, Tenten was the practical one, the one who explained the reasons behind everything, and more often than not, came up with the actual plans. Neji was very good at fighting. He wasn't so good with philosophy or abstract concepts. But Tenten wasn't speaking to him.

He considered the other people he knew. He could ask Gai-Sensei or Lee for ad… ask Lee for adv…

Neji's brain couldn't quite itself around that concept, so he decided to move on. He could go to the Fifth for advice… but he would have to think twice before listening to anything she told.

Well, there was always Hinata-sama.

Neji decided to see if Gai had anything to say that may save him the embarrassment of having to ask his cousin for advice.

"Gai-sensei?" Gai and Lee seemed to be involved in some sort of training. Neji watched suspiciously. It seemed at first glance no more than a collection of ridiculous poses, but obviously Lee had learned something from it. Neji stared, but he couldn't actually find anything that seemed remotely useful. He was about to raise his teacher's attention, but then pictured the likely scenario:

_"Gai-sensei!" Neji called. _

_"Oh, Neji! How good it is to see you!" Gai turned his head in Neji's direction. "What brings you here on this fine Konoha morning?"_

_Neji grunted. "Do you know what's wrong with Tenten?"_

_"Oh the joy! Enjoy this time while it lasts, Neji, for it will never come again. You must learn to love the-"_

_"Springtime of your life!" finished Lee, Gai and Neji._

_"But you didn't answer the question," Neji pointed out. He sighed inwardly. And people said he was crazy. _

_"Just go and enjoy your time together while it lasts! Such a joyous moment in your teacher's life!" _

On the other hand, Neji decided, it was probably less awkward to just ask Hinata-sama. And so much less embarrassing. He jumped off into the distance.

"Hinata-sama?" Neji had been waiting near Hinata-sama's favorite training spot for nearly an hour, to no avail. For the first time, he heard a rustling between the trees.

"Oh! There you are Neji! Hurry up, the Hokage has summoned us," Lee told his teammate, gesturing for Neji to follow. Neji sighed inwardly. Making peace with Tenten would have to wait.

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Kiba crashed to the ground, struck by a hidden foe. "Damn you!" he yelled at the tree. A figure jumped from the foliage, moving too fast for human eyes to clearly see. But the Hyuuga were gifted with sight beyond that of normal humans. Hinata threw a dagger straight into the path of their assailant. However, the weapon seemed to have no lasting effect, only slowing their attacker for a few seconds. But that was enough time for several small insects to land on him. Before Shino's bugs could dispose of him,the enemy turned and threw a hail of weapons at the black-haired shinobi. He tried to jump away, but still took the brunt of the attack. He collapsed with as much dignity and grace as he could. As he fell, so too did his opponent, paralyzed by the bite of the insects. Hinata looked to her injured comrades.

Kiba brought himself upright. "I'll be fine. I needed the chance to take a rest anyway." Shino said nothing, but he didn't look so well, so Hinata walked calmly to his side. She began quickly removing the various weapons from his side, then applying salve.

Shino tried unsuccessfully to hide his blush, but he didn't worry unduly about it. His teammates would likely put it down to his being forced to accept medical attention from a teammate. In truth, he was rather fond of Hinata. She had self-control, something rare among Genins. She understood things beyond the here and now.

It was a shame she was so attached to the Uzumaki boy. He may have some things to teach her, but not all of his mannerisms were admirable. He bragged too much, for one. For another, he was almost completely unaware of her fascination with him. Definitely not a trait she should pick up. He didn't have anything as silly as a crush, but he had to admit she was one of the most desirable women in the whole village.

Shino's glasses were pierced, and he had a cut just above his eye. Hinata removed his sunglasses quickly, before he could protest. He'd been caught staring at her, unable to avert his gaze quickly enough. Hinata blushed under the intensity of his gaze.

A second assailant aimed several poison soaked daggers at the hearts of the resting team of ninja. He aimed first for the dog and the kid with him.

"No one is that cruel," accused a voice coming from behind him. "Would you really kill a couple of injured kids and a dog?"

"Look, it's just an assignment, I don't care what they tell me to do, as long as I get paid." The would-be murderer struggled for a minute, then turned to face his opponent. "I don't care."

Hyuuga Neji shrugged. Diplomacy was rarely a word he liked to hear in a mission description without the word unnecessary close to it. He dispatched the assassin with a few quick strikes, them towards his attention to Hinata-sama's team.

Meanwhile, the bushes were shaking. Three more cloaked mercenaries fell out, followed by a green blur. "The enemy has been defeated," he said rather enthusiastically. Then again, Lee rarely did anything without enthusiasm.

Tenten followed, shrugging. "Honestly, mercenaries these days just don't know a good deal when they see one. They could have come out of this unscathed."

"Akamaru and I could have handled that on our own!" Kiba protested.

Shino glared at him, eyes sharper than any of the surrounding weapons. "Who was the first one to fall?"His teammate could be so obnoxious sometimes.

As her team bickered, Hinata-sama turned to Neji. "Neji-nii-san, what are you doing here?" Neji realized what must be running through her head, but he knew no more than she did, so he only said, "Tsunade-sama sent us to reinforce you. It turns out the mission was more difficult than she originally thought." More difficult, Neji grimaced, than a half dozen Genin should be handling. But if Uzumaki Naruto could do it, so could Hyuuga Neji.

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The six genin rested in their employer's home. They sat with a middle-aged woman around a table that looked as though it should seat ten times their number. A butler brought out various dishes, which the tired shinobi ate gratefully.

The woman frowned. "I'm afraid the assassins you encountered were nothing more than a test. More will come, better trained, more likely than not." Neji nodded, that came as no surprise. The Hokage would not assign extra teams to what should be an easy mission without excellent reason. "You'll need to maintain a constant guard."

Neji turned to his teammates, trying to work with that. "If two people sleep eight hours a day, and everyone takes a four hour break, we can have three aware and ready guards at all hours of day, as well as one on almost instant call." No one argued the point.

A few hours later, Neji had started to regret making that suggestion. He was on watch with Tenten and Hinata-sama. Not that there would have been anything wrong with that, usually – Hinata-sama didn't make him particularly uncomfortable anymore, and Tenten was his friend. But she wasn't speaking to him. And he couldn't just ask about it. That didn't work.

It wasn't as if Neji was the particularly talkative sort in the first place. If his teammates got six sentences out of him in one day, no one even noticed. But he knew when Tenten had something to say, and he could tell she just wanted to give him a good-talking to. It wouldn't be first time he had tolerated a verbal onslaught for something minor. Honestly, you'd think she wouldn't mind a broken rib that much. You certainly couldn't keep track of the number of times a little thing like that happened.

But Lee would be on shift soon. Neji liked talking to Lee – you never had to worry about making a fool of yourself. Lee made fool enough of himself that you knew you couldn't even come close. Absentmindedly, he swept a bug off his shoulder and threw a dagger through the throat of an approaching assassin. By his reckoning, that made four he had killed just within the past half hour. Easy so far, but there had to be a catch.

And there was the first part of the catch coming now. Tenten's weapons hadn't had any affect on him, so he was at least somewhat skilled. Looking with the Byakuugen, Neji noticed a flow of chakra. Another ninja. But Neji had already come up with a way to beat him. "I have you in my eye," he muttered, mostly to himself.

He dropped down on top of the ninja, but was not surprised when his opponent managed to avoid the first blow. The spinning kick caught him, however, and he collapsed. Before Neji had time to frown, however, the ninja melted into a pile of water on the floor. From Hidden Mist, then.

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Shino, meanwhile, was doing a bit of reconnaissance. So far, his bugs had reported nothing unusual, and the mission seemed more or less straightforward. He hadn't gotten anything odd out of anyone. It wasn't that no one had talked. People were always willing to talk about why they needed bodyguards. It was a kind of prestige, having to hire ninja. Everyone had talked, they had just said the same thing. That woman was valuable, and people were trying to capture her.

As much as he had kept his ears open, it seemed to no more than a standard mission. There was no logical gap, no threats around every corner. It was making Shino uneasy. He still had two hours of rest time ahead of him. And, despite his best efforts to the contrary, he was going to have to relax. Not that there was anything wrong with relaxation. It was one of Shino's favorite pastimes. But the idea of a bodyguard mission where no one was trying to kill you was difficult for any ninja to grasp, and Shino was not exactly flexible. Sighing, he sat down.


	2. Nature walk

Neji focused his chakra, searching for his opponent. He was well-concealed, but no match for Neji's special sight – there! He aimed a kick for the enemy's head, and felt it connect, saw the opponent fly through the air, and then took the opportunity to cut off the other's chakra flow and hit a few regular pressure points for good measure. That was too easy, he thought, looking warily around. It was only then that he noticed his opponent was younger then he was. "These are the best a wealthy family can hire?" he scoffed. "Just leave. I have no quarrel with you now that your mission has failed." Neji was uncomfortably aware of a cold stare from behind him.

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"They don't need my help," Shino muttered. His bugs reported nothing Hinata and Kiba couldn't handle, let alone this so-called genius. "Not yet, at least," he corrected himself. A three-man team was on its way. But it was almost time for his sleep shift, so there would be four to deal with them. The best thing he could do right now was rest to restore his chakra. In any case, he would sent for if he were needed. Mainly it was nerves and an unfamiliar feeling. Waiting for others to fight while he did nothing did not sit well with him. He almost hoped they would run into difficulty. Almost.

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"You have to apologize to Tenten. Without teamwork, this mission will fail, and we all will face grave consequences," Lee warned. Neji sighed. Lee might be his best friend, but he would sooner take Jiraiya-sama's advice on women. At least that would get him somewhere, though not necessarily anywhere he wanted to be.

"Lee, keep both eyes open. I will return shortly." With that, he was off. Lee seemed entirely too enthusiastic for someone who had been unconscious less than fifteen minutes ago. He landed instead next to Hinata-sama, working up the nerve to ask her about Tenten. He dispatched another assassin while he waited, a task that took him not more than two minutes. They were no more than hired killers, lacking finesse as well as skill. Finally, he asked, softly, "Hinata-sama?"

"Yes?" she asked in return.

"What the hell is wrong with Tenten?" he asked. There was no point in niceties, and he was fairly blunt by nature.

"Tenten?" she asked, and Neji thought she sounded surprised, "Um, she seemed angry at you. I wouldn't know why." She barely blushed at all these days when they spoke. Good. It pleased him to know that fairly soon she would not need his protection.

Neji thought back. "We were training, and by the end, she just stormed off. I can't imagine why. I tried not to hurt her." Hinata-sama blushed and giggled. She seemed to have found something more than Neji did, but when she spoke, it was only to repeat what Lee had said.

"You need to go talk to her," she said, with a hint of laughter still in her voice. Neji nodded glumly, embarrassed. Hinata-sama was laughing at him. Of all people, she thought the situation amusing. Well, there was little to be done, for a while at least. He retreated to a position away from either both his cousin and his friend, and began scanning for enemies. No one showed up for at least fifteen minutes, then suddenly, the Hidden Mist ninja returned, accompanied by what could only be his team. Am adult this time, a full-fledged ninja, as well as two other Genin – a boy and a girl. Hinata-sama and Lee moved forward to challenge the three younger ones, leaving him to charge the team leader.

He decided not to play around. The 64 strikes technique, half to Neji's surprise, worked the first time he tried it, leaving him time to check on the others. Hinata-sama was doing surprisingly well, having already defeated her opponent, and Lee seemed to be having no trouble with the others. He turned to his own opponent. "You've failed. If you want to beat us, you'll need to train a lot harder." He smirked.

"You little brat!" snarled his opponent, lunging forward with knife in hand. Neji brushed him aside easily and allowed himself a haughty expression.

"You'll have to try much harder if you want to defeat me. Just go back." He punched the other ninja hard, to demonstrate the futility of continuing. He checked once again on the others, and saw the two of them had defeated all three other Genin. "Your team has already been dealt with. You have lost, and it is time for you to leave." He was just taunting him now, but he was frustrated. "Go!" He supposed he ought to take pride in the fact that he had beaten a team leader, but he had heard Hidden Mist was having staffing difficulties. In all likelihood, that was some Chuunin on their first mission.

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"She laughed at me. It just doesn't make sense." They had regrouped after beating the ninja from Hidden Mist, and Neji was now unloading his problems on Lee. Not that he expected much help. But while Hinata-sama seemed to be warming up to him, or at least putting herself more at ease, he still felt uncomfortable around _her_. Not to mention that there were advantages in talking to Lee. He made you forget your little problems with his motivational speeches. He also made Neji want to punch him, but they were working on that.

"It's great that you've made up with your cousin, Neji, but you need to talk to Tenten. We need teamwork if the mission is to succeed." Sometimes, Lee's straightforward baseness scared him.

"Lee, you aren't going to spend your time off training, are you?"

"Of course not! I'll devote an hour or so to just enjoying my springtime of life. It's important to relax sometimes, after training hard."

"You can say that again." Lee really was a simple kid, but he was a good one. "Enjoy yourself."

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Neji's active shift was finally over, and he was still confused. None of this had been difficult enough to need all of them. No point in dwelling on it, though. The reason would become clear, or it would not. There was little enough he could do about that. However, as much as he hated to admit it, he could do something about Tenten. He knocked softly on the door to the chamber she had been assigned, and waited for a response.

"Who's there?" she called back irritably after a few minutes.

"I am," he said softly. He heard the click of a lock and retreating footsteps. So much for that idea. But no, he had to try harder. He couldn't just accept things anymore. "Tenten, you're upset. Why?" So he had to work on finesse. It was a start. He allowed himself a small surge of pride.

"Nothing's wrong. We just need to keep our distance for a few days, that's all."

"We're on a mission. We cannot allow our own disputes to interfere with the completion of the mission and the continued welfare of our village."

In spite of herself, Tenten laughed. "Where did you pick that up? I know Hyuuga Neji and he does not come up with things like that on his own."

"Lee." He said no more, and knew he did not need to. They both knew Lee well enough.

"I'll see you later," she told him firmly, but with a hint of amusement still in her voice. Well, at least she seemed considerably more cheerful than last time.

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"This is ridiculous. Why do they need six of us for this mission? We're short-handed already. Why not just send one person?"  
"Because, Kiba-kun, they would get tired too fast," Hinata told him softly. "And I'm sure Tsunade-sama had her reasons for doing this."

"Well, why don't we just go get them before they get here?" Kiba asked, sniffing the air impatiently. "Guard duty gets boring fast."

"Alright! Let's go!" shouted Lee, running off into the distance.

"Does he have any idea where he's going?" Kiba asked Hinata, shaking his head.

"Probably not." Hinata giggled. You had to, with Lee. If you didn't laugh, you'd go insane. "But, if we go, who will guard this place in case more sneak up?"

"Good point." Hinata was always thinking more than Kiba, but she managed to be less annoying about it than Shino. "You and Lee stay here, and Akamaru and I will go find them."

That was easier said than done – first she would have to catch up to Lee."How are you going to find them?"

"Our noses are up to the job, easily. They all had one smell in common. We just need to follow that." Kiba and Akamaru bounded ahead, and as they passed over Lee, Kiba yelled down, "Head on back! We'll handle this!"

They followed the trail for a few miles, then came to the source of the smell, what appeared to be a simple bush. "A bush?" Kiba sniffed the air, "but not just a bush, huh, Akamaru?" Akamaru barked agreement. They searched for several minutes, then a strange sensation overcame them both. "It's a trap, Akamaru," Kiba warned, holding his nose, "Don't breathe deeply and let's get out of here!"  
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"Where is Kiba?" Shino asked, more annoyed than concerned. Undoubtedly, his teammate was doing something useless.

"He was tracking down the enemies' base, but he hasn't come back yet," Hinata answered him. Shino said nothing, but nodded silent approval. Being this productive was unlike Kiba, but it was pleasing to hear he had improved. "Your shift is over," he told Hinata. "Wake your cousin and his friend if that one runs into trouble. You," here he addressed Lee, "Guard this place until Kiba and I return."

"Understood!" Lee shouted, assuming his trademark pose.

Shino refrained from commenting on Lee's actions, knowing it would be worthless. Instead, he set to following Kiba's trail.

He had gotten only a short way when Kiba crashed into him. "Watch where you're going" he muttered, irritated. "What did you learn?"  
"Wherever they passed through has no respect for the environment," Kiba said, rubbing his nose. "They dumped all sorts of trash in bushes and trees. I couldn't track them any further."

"Deliberate?"  
"I don't think so. It seemed more like apathy – they threw stuff wherever. But it really stank."

"Disgusting. We are to take care of our surroundings, not defile them. We must stay in touch with our environment."

"Tell me about it. But for now, we have a mission. Let's go!" Kiba bounded ahead, Akamaru following close behind. Shino sighed and hurried after him.

Lee was waiting for them. "Hello! Nothing's happened so far, but I'm surprised you got back so fast. What information have you found?"

"None, other than that people around here destroy the environment."

"That's terrible! It's our responsibility to take of the plants and animals we live with!"

"That's what we said," Kiba told him.

"This moment will surely do wonders for our teamwork!" Lee beamed, and Shino found himself wondering how many times the other brushed his teeth in a single day. At least five or six, to get that kind of shine. He found himself wondering if Lee could blind an opponent just by smiling. But that really was neither here or there, so he brought his mind back to the problem at hand. His bugs returned with reports from the other directions – a few attackers, nothing overly difficult.

He surveyed his allies – Kiba would be on shift for a while, and they worked well enough. Lee would be gone soon enough, which suited him fine. But only Hinata's cousin and the other one would be on shift after that. He wanted some time to talk to Hinata, which it didn't look like he would get for a while. Inconvenient, but not a true problem. He would work something out.

Kiba approached Shino. "You bored yet?" he asked.

"Keeping alert is one of the most important skills a ninja can learn," he responded shortly.

"Which means yes, but you don't want to admit it. Come on, I know you," Kiba smirked.

Shino kept silent for a few minutes, then said, "Yes, you do. And we will do well in fighting the approaching enemy." The two of them turned to dispatch the oncoming assassins, then returned to standing side by side. "Easy enough."  
"That's the power of teamwork." Kiba smiled., and to his own surprise, so did Shino.


End file.
